Franklin D. Roosevelt III, born July 19, 1938, in Philadelphia, is an American economist who spent his academic career at Sarah Lawrence College, where he taught until around 2011. Grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, he built a professional identity around economics rather than politics, co-editing a 1994 anthology on market socialism and championing a public monument to his grandmother in New York City. The New School for Social Research recognized his contributions with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, noted in the Fall 2010 issue of the Sarah Lawrence college magazine.
Key facts
- Born: 19 July 1938
- Birthplace: Philadelphia
- Country: United States
- Occupation: economist
- Employer: Sarah Lawrence College
- Education: Yale University; Columbia University; St. Mark’s School; The New School
Education and Early Career
Roosevelt attended St. Mark’s School before going on to Yale University, where he graduated in 1961. He subsequently studied at Columbia University and the New School, rounding out a formation that moved between mainstream economics and heterodox social thought. After Yale, he served as a U.S. Navy Ensign aboard a minesweeper, a posting that placed him within a family tradition of naval service before he turned fully to academic life.
Marriage and Family
On June 18, 1962, Roosevelt married Grace Rumsey Goodyear at St. Luke’s Protestant Episcopal Church in Darien, Connecticut. At the time of their wedding, Grace was a graduate of Milton Academy and a student at Smith College. Their daughter Amelia Roosevelt became a violinist.
Academic Work at Sarah Lawrence College
Roosevelt’s long tenure at Sarah Lawrence College centered on economics, and he retired from teaching there around 2011. A tribute published in the Fall 2011 issue of the Sarah Lawrence college magazine marked his departure. His approach to the discipline drew on both conventional and dissenting economic traditions, a disposition reflected in his editorial work.
In 1994, Roosevelt co-edited Why Market Socialism?: Voices from Dissent with David Belkin. Published by M.E. Sharpe, the volume gathered essays that had originally appeared in Dissent magazine between 1985 and 1993, bringing together critics and defenders of market socialist ideas into a single collection.
Eleanor Roosevelt Monument
Roosevelt led the effort to build a monument to his grandmother Eleanor Roosevelt at Riverside Park in Manhattan. The Eleanor Roosevelt Monument was unveiled on October 5, 1996, the result of an organizing effort he drove forward to secure a permanent public tribute to her in New York City.
Recognition
The New School for Social Research awarded Roosevelt its Distinguished Alumnus Award. The honor was noted in the Fall 2010 issue of the Sarah Lawrence college magazine, connecting recognition from one institution to the record of another where he had spent most of his career.
Did you know
- After graduating from Yale in 1961, Roosevelt served as a U.S. Navy Ensign on a minesweeper. The posting continued a Roosevelt family pattern of naval service: his father, Franklin Jr., had served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II. (counsilient.com)
- His daughter Amelia Roosevelt became a violinist, a pursuit well outside the economic and political fields that defined her father’s career and her grandfather’s legacy. (baike.baidu.com)
Data sources
Data updated: 2026-10-28